With just hours left in the regular legislative session, a Senate vote is the final legislative hurdle for HB 315, a bill that would allow midwives to legally practice in Alabama.

"If you won't give us our vote, we'll wait for it," said Kaycee Cavender, president of the Alabama Birth Coalition, which has been pushing for the legislation that would decriminalize midwifery. Currently, most midwives can't legally practice in Alabama; home birth is only legal if it is unattended by a midwife.

"I'm going to be there with my 6-month-old baby to let them know we're here and we're watching."

It's been a year of firsts for the state's midwifery supporters. After 13 years of pushing for decriminalization legislation, a bill finally made it out of the House committee. Then the House approved it, 84-11 in April. It passed with an amendment out of the Senate Judiciary committee in early May. Now it's waiting on a vote in the Senate. If approved without the amendment, it would head to the desk of Gov. Kay Ivey.

Tomorrow is the final day of the regular legislative session and today work ground to a halt after Democrats, protesting a redistricting plan backed by Republicans, asked that the plans be read in full. The Senate's reading of the 541-page redistricting bill began late this morning and is not expected to end until late Thursday night or Friday morning.

Cavender said she has received promises that HB 315 would get a vote on Friday. But there will likely be a 10-minute limit to debate on the bill, "which could kill our bill because that's not enough time for debate. It's an effort to delay the bill so it never gets a vote."

Supporters from as far away as Huntsville, Mobile and Birmingham are gathering this afternoon to sit in the Senate gallery - babies in tow - and wait.

"At this point, we don't know what else to do to get their attention," said Cavender.

The bill has been opposed by organizations including the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and the Alabama Hospital Association. Cavender said that a concentrated grassroots campaign by supporters and bipartisan support in the state legislature have led to the bill's success so far. She and other supporters aren't ready to give up.

"We understand it might be midnight or 1 o'clock," before tonight's session ends, said Cavender. "We're going to sit in the Senate gallery until they make us leave."